Saekyung College Yeongwol, Gangwon-do, South Korea

Posted on the "Nominate a School for Blacklisting" section. Any comments?

"I am posting information about this college on the internet so as to warn any and all individuals interested in obtaining employment in Korea about Saekyung College and its corrupt business tactics.

The management system in place at this private college is manipulative and deceitful in regards to its day-to-day dealings with foreign English instructors.

Saekyung College is privately owned; however, it receives government backed grants from the people of Gangwon-do to stay afloat. Unfortunately, the college has misused its newly acquired grant money to actually refurbish its dilapidated facility without actually meeting the requirements and mandates set forth in the agreement made between Saekyung and the government of Gangwon-do.

In regards to foreign English instructors, Saekyung College has already hired and illegally dismissed two foreign instructors out of three employed during its first year of operation.

Contracts are not honored or respected, and working conditions change daily. The current management system in place has existed since July; and during its first year of operation, there was literally no management system in place for nine out of ten months.

Communication does not exist, as English is not spoken at the college...even in the Foreign Language Village and/or by Korean professors supposedly holding PhD's obtained outside of Korea. In other words, Saekyung College's Foreign Language Village is currently managed by a Director who cannot speak English. He claims that he was a professor of Economics in the United States; however, his spoken English is equivalent to that of a five-year old child's. Therefore, how could he have been a professor at prestigious universities in the United States of America? He couldn't have been, and he wasn't.

If you are interested in obtaining employment with this independent college, understand that you will be deceived into thinking that your employment status will be that of a college professor. However, you will be issued a work visa with the status of English instructor. You will not be regarded or treated as a professor at the college. You will simply be a native English-speaking conversation teacher.

In addition, the college will endeavor to make you create and design curriculum and reading material, despite the fact that a budget is in place for the acquisition of such material. If you visit the facility, you will instantly notice a large amount of reading materials and English-based learning products. However, none of the material is actually applicable to the learning environment with its intended goals (Business and Tourism English). Someone at the college simply purchased a packaged set of English products without actually analyzing the overall content of those materials.

When it comes to the payment of salaries and overtime worked, Saekyung College often pays late if not at all. Salaries are supposed to be paid via the budget allocated in a grant provided by the government, with contracted stipulations in mind. However, expect to not be paid for overtime worked. The college does not like to spend money, and expect to see a college in complete demise if you intend to visit the facility for further review.

My advice: avoid the corruption and deceit. Yeongwol is not hospitable towards foreigners, and Saekyung College simply lies to get what it needs...warm, white bodies in place to serve as maniquines on display for the government of Gangwon-do.

Finally, I worked there for almost one year and was unjustly dismissed in my tenth month of employment. This was done so as not to pay severance at the completion of my contract. In addition, I have had other potential applicants contact me in regards to a lack of information about this college on the internet. They have been lied to during the interview process, as Saekyung has claimed that no other foreigners have been employed at that location before. Visit the college's website. You will find white, western faces.

Distorted communication, lies, deceit, manipulated pay, non-payment for services rendered, and blackmail are all standard business tactics currently used by those in management at Saekyung College."

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Inspector McHammered of the Lard in Pamplona, Spain

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Berlitz Moscow, Russia

Posted on the "Nominate a School for Blacklisting" section. Any comments?

"I nominate Berlitz Moscow for blacklisting since the company has advertised a teaching job in Perm, Russia for the past 2 years when no such job actually exists. This recruiting effort is a classic bait (Moscow and Perm) and switch (Berezniki) tactic, i.e. http://www.berlitz-russia.com/en/about_berlitz/jobs_careers/

Q. Where is Berezniki?
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A. Berezniki is a small Communist mining town which is North of Perm. All teachers are recruited for Moscow or Perm and then are informed they will be going to Berezniki immediately once they arrive in Moscow. They are flown on a 1950s Aeroflot aircraft from Moscow to Perm where they are then driven 3 hours by car to Berezniki. Berezniki suffers from extreme isolation and poverty. See: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Berezniki

Q. Why should Berlitz Moscow be blacklisted?
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A1. An instructor is expected to fulfill a rotation in the city of Berezniki for 26 weeks out of the 52-week year without prior notification (not in contract) before arriving in Moscow.

A2. An instructor is expected to fly back and forth on 1950s Aeroflot aircraft between Moscow and Perm every three weeks.

A3. Berezniki is dangerous to go out at night, as it has three local prison populations that release prisoners regularly into Berezniki. Also, Berlitz tells the instructor not to go out of the hotel.

A4. There are no laundry facilities in Perm, instructors are expected to wash all of their clothes in a bathtub and are allowed only one suitcase on the aircraft due to weight restrictions.

A5. Instructors are placed in a hotel for 3 weeks and expected to be on-call for the company across the street from the hotel from 6AM to 10PM. Most scheduled courses result in cancellations.

Q. Why am I telling us this?
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A1. I witnessed at least two instructors going through severe isolation sickness; one actually was close to a nervous breakdown while I was there due to constant schedule changes and the isolation.

A2. I spent 3 weeks in Berezniki, when I returned to Moscow I confronted Berlitz Moscow management with the breach of contract and notified the consulate much to the chagrin of the company.

A3 When I quit for breach of contract, I was given my last month's pay, was driven to my apartment and told to pack immediately and I was driven to the Moscow rail station.

A3. When I informed Berlitz Moscow of the contract breach I also mentioned that I was terrified of flying 7-10 times a year on an Aeroflot 1950s aircraft; I was told to see a psychiatrist by the manager.

Unfortunately, September 14, 2008 confirmed my worst fears and made me grateful that I quit when I did otherwise I might not be here today to tell you this: i.e. Aeroflot-Nord Boeing 737-500 for Aeroflot, flight SU821 from Moscow Sheremetyevo to Perm (Russia) crashed into a railway line southwest of Perm about 3:10 AM MSK (5:10 AM local time, or 13 September 2008, 23:10 PM UTC). Perm's police said the crew attempted an emergency landing due to an engine failure. AFP reported 88 including 21 foreigners killed at 5:15 AM Perm time. See: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aeroflot_Flight_821

This is the same route that a Berlitz Instructor is expected to fly 7-10 times a year. Please stay away from this company, I personally witnessed that the center manager has no conscience and sees all instructors as her chattel. No one at Berlitz International ever answered my emails despite this horrible situation and repeated requests for assistance.

I do my research before speaking and this is what the research says about Aeroflot:
http://www.planecrashinfo.com/Airline/AL%20Aeroflot.htm

Shame on Berlitz Moscow for not honoring its contractual terms and endangering the lives of its foreign instructors with this shabby behavior and continuing to post a job in Perm that does not actually exist."

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Inspector McHammered of the Lard in Pamplona, Spain

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Flying Teachers, Zurich Switzerland

Posted in defence of another school of Zurich. The poster can't resist taking a pot at another school though. Why? Defend your own school but not by attacking another saying it's worse.

"If you want to Blacklist a Zurich school try Flying Teachers - with a huge staff turnover and a massive interest only in making money, not in their teachers".

Any comments about Flying Teachers, Zurich - good or bad?

Wall Street Institute Istanbul, Turkey

Posted on the Wall Street Institute, France section, but I've it placed under "Turkey". Any comments? It's very well written and totally credible.

"I just finished a year in WSI in Istanbul in Turkey. You know, I have mixed feelings about it all. I must say in terms of what they said would happen, did happen - pay was always always on time, and if the 1st was on the weekend when the office would be closed, then we would always get paid on the Friday before. I really don't think that any other school in Istanbul ever was so punctual.My biggest gripe personally was the pay - it was a starting rate of 1500 YTL a month which is about 1200 USD a month, which was okay, but it was very difficult to save anything especially at the start of the year, but towards the end of the year it got a little tight because of inflation; and also it seemed a little miserly because of what some of the other schools - just this month it has been put up to 1850 YTL as a starting rate, and it goes up again if you have experience / qualifications. There was none of the rubbish about if you get a no-show you don't get paid - I mean, there are international franchise rules about that and they should stick to them.I mean, the contract stipulated that we weren't supposed to have private students, but I was actively encouraged by my manager to get some - we were being employed illegally by the company because nobody except one or two people had work permits because they took such a long time to come through and nobody from the government came and checked either.What was annoying was the way the course was sold by the salesmen, one of the guys was a complete dick but he got paid the most, because he lied the most.We didn't get too much mouth from the students as teachers, because in Turkish culture, it's like Chinese culture - the teacher is revered, but some people who were really paying a lot of money to be there, would complain to us, and I knew exactly who to send them to!They would sell to people who could only come every two or three months, so would study English about six hours a month. One time I had someone come who hadn't been for six months, and had been studying like this on and off for two years thinking that this was perfectly ok for her English (because she had been reassured by the sales staff that it would be - that the system would allow for it) and she was really awful - I did a level check with her and she needed to be dropped down almost back to where she started two years ago; she was understandably annoyed and well, I didn't have to deal with it, because she was spewing off in Turkish, but the Turkish staff had to because of a really badly sold contract. The pay they gave the Turkish staff at reception and the tutors in the lab was really crap - we had such a high turnover, and they got some really bad shit from students who were complaining to them about things not living up to their expectations - I remember one women go absolutely ape-shit (does that have a hyphen? anyone?) at reception because the salesman had told her she could get a lesson, anytime, with as little notice as she wanted; I mean she was crazy, and I think her English got worse with us but she was just a product of the course being badly sold because of the commisions they get.Another incident that soured me with the Turkish management was one student was very late for the lesson, and I refused to do it with him, and directed him to reception to book another encounter. I mean he wasn't best pleased about it So far, so good.Once he leaves, the centre director speaks to me and has a huge argument with me about not taking him in - he's the manager of a big company, he could get us lots of sales, he's my friend (five minutes of the lateness was because of having a cigarette with the Director, followed by a promise that he could do the lesson even though he was late), thus, you made me look a fool, he can only come every six weeks because he lives in another city (actually closer to four other centres than this one) blah blah blah. I was so annoyed at him, because I used to have some respect for him - I thought he would put the educational achievement of the students above money - but that event just made me really dislike him - because it was all about money, money, money for him.And you know the student, came, two weeks later (miraculously bucking the six week problem), and he said that I was right, that it was pointless doing the lesson in thirty minutes because we needed the time to do it properly! In our centre, I was really lucky that I had a sympathetic native centre manager who actually cared about teaching English, vociferously complained about the pay to the upper management. It was generally a really pleasant atmosphere to work in. At the end of 12 months there, I was absolutely sick of the same lessons again and again and again, and that's why I didn't stick around for another contract. It is the McDonalds of English Language teaching; but you know, I saw some real progress there by some of the students, it was quick, but it was solid - it wasn't just going to fall away because they really worked hard; and I guess that made it worth it.Every country is different- I can't really talk about France - I would recommed WSI in Turkey to a new young ESL teacher, to get some good experience, but it's not hard, and after about seven months, I was really getting bored in classes, and I used to dread certain units. It's certainly not mentally taxing. And the pay reflects that - but they pay on time. And sometimes that's more important."

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Inspector McHammered of the Lard in Pamplona, Spain

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Sandy McManus - Speak Out Now!

I would like all EFL teachers to voice their support for Sandy McManus (founder of The TEFL Blacklist) by sending messages to the blogger who is responsible for attempting to silence him. Sandy has done more than anyone to expose the charlatans at work in EFL
Tell the swine to back off. He is at:

http://sandymcmanus.blogspot.com

You need to speak out and NOW.............. otherwise (muttering incoherently) I'm next in line.

BTW. Anyone spotted Paul Lowe?

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Inspector McHammered of the Lard in Pamplona, Spain

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English Grammar

Your intrepid sleuth read this on the BBC website and thought you might find it of interest and a change from the usual stuff. Comment away as much as you want - after all you are THE experts, aren't you?

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Grammar just ain't what it used to be, it seems. When we explained the difference between "fewer" and "less, following Tesco's policy shift on this matter, readers told us what grammar rules they see being flouted or find confusing. The list was a long one. Here are the best.

1. The one that really annoys me is how people suddenly seem to confuse "have" and "of", as in: "I could of learnt how to write properly." There's no excuse for it!
Pete, Sheffield

2. The phrase "for free" is becoming commonplace and is used often on television and it's wrong. It should be "for nothing".
Mary, Basingstoke

3. That guardian of our language, the BBC, is full of solecisms these days; just one example: 12 pm. There is no such time; "meridiem" as in am ("ante meridiem" means "before noon") and pm ("post meridiem" means "after noon") means midday. The 12th hour is neither before nor after midday. So please, BBC use either midday or noon with midnight the correct term for the other end of the day. This is not being pedantic; in these days of 24-hour days, it is often not readily apparent what time 12 pm might be.
Mervyn, Usk, Monmouthshire

4. If you do something to change a situation, then you "effect" a change. If your circumstances are changed by an action, then the change has caused an "effect". You cannot "affect" a change in something, nor can you be "effected" by one.
Rob, Lyme Regis

5. I get annoyed at the reckless use of apostrophes, for example, the plural of CD can't be CD's.
Shahed Alam, London

6. Many people, including public speakers, incorrectly use "I" instead of "me". For instance, they would say "She said some very kind things about George and I", thinking that they are being polite or grammatically correct. An easy way to remember which to use is: if you would say him or her on its own, use me; if you would say he or she on its own, use I. For example, "She said some very kind things about him".
Lorraine, Aylesbury

7. Incorrect use of reflexives make my blood boil. I think that for someone to say "yourself" and "myself" when they just mean "you" or "me" is possibly out of a false sense of politeness, or maybe the insidious effect of TV soaps, or both. Those who use it correctly can give "themselves" a pat on the back.
John Self, Wisset, Suffolk

8. How about "none of them is" and "none of them are"? Most people would use the latter whereas the former is correct. "None" is short for "not one" therefore "not one (none) of them is" would be used. Most newsreaders still get it right though - on the BBC anyway!
Emily, Bristol

NOTE: Fowler's Modern English Usage says that "none" is not short for "not one" and although using a singular verb is more common, using a plural verb has also been an acceptable option since the reign of King Alfred.

9. Similar TO, different FROM, compared WITH. Not "to" used for all of them!
Susan, Brisbane, Australia

NOTE: Fowler's Modern English Usage says: "The commonly expressed view that 'different' should only be followed by 'from' and never by 'to' or 'than' is not supportable in the face of past and present evidence or of logic." It adds that "compare to" is to liken and "compare with" or "compare to" is used to point out similarities and differences. The BBC News website style guide differs with Fowler's on this last point. It says that when pointing out differences, "compare with" should always be used.

10. Here's one they often get wrong on BBC news! BBC reporter: "Then they opened fire on us". This is incorrect. In military terms there are two methods of shooting at an enemy, controlled-fire and open-fire. I.E. you are not opening anything so using the past tense of open is incorrect. The correct expression should be "Then they open-fired on us"
JWTH, Belfast

11. I find the increasing, incorrect use of "literally" annoying.... "I literally went blue with anger!!" "Really?" I ask.
Ned, Wallingford

12. The proper use of "its" and "it's" seems to confound many people, with "its" being a possessive and "it's" being a contraction of "it is". I've seen this mistake made even in some rather lofty publications...
Eric, Berlin

13. It annoys me when people use "due to" when they mean "owing to". But then I'm a pedant.
Guy, London

NOTE: The BBC News website style guide says "due to" means "caused by" and needs a noun, but "owing to" means "because of" and relates to a verb. Hence, "the visit was cancelled [cancelled is the verb] owing to flooding" is correct. So too is "the flooding [flooding is the noun] was due to weeks of heavy rain".

14. As a secondary teacher, I'm beginning to despair when it comes to "they're", "there" and "their"; not to mention "to", "two" and "too". Why are we so afraid to correct these simple mistakes which make all the difference at a later stage?
Alexandra, London

15. There is also confusion over lend and borrow. I keep hearing school children asking "to lend your pencil" when what they actually mean is to "borrow" the pencil.
Ian Walton, Bedford

16. I cringe when I hear BBC reporters say "amount of people" when it should be "number of people"!
Jill Thistlethwaite, Leyburn, UK

NOTE: Fowler's says "amount" is used with nouns that are not countable, such as "amount of forgiveness" and "amount of glue" - but "number" is used with countable nouns, such as "number of boys" and "number of houses".

17. I don't like it when people say: I can go there "by foot" instead of "on foot"....the right preposition to use is ON.
Daniela, Urbana, IL

18. The usage that I find particularly irritating is that of a single noun with a plural verb, for example: "the team are happy with their victory", or "management have congratulated the workforce on the recent increase in productivity". Team is a singular noun so it should read "the team IS happy..." or "the team members ARE happy", the same applies "management HAS congratulated..." Also, what has happened to the word "versus", abbreviated "vs"? Now all we see is "v"; it is even read like that in sports announcements.
Lucia, Horndean, UK

NOTE: The BBC News website's style is that sports teams and pop/rock bands are always plural.

19. A classic confusing rule is the one that states that one is supposed never to end a sentence with a preposition. While this is easy and appropriate to follow in most cases, for example by saying "Yesterday I visited the town to which she has just moved" instead of "...the town she has just moved to", it becomes troublesome when the verb structure includes a preposition that cannot be removed from it, as in "At work I am using a new computer with which my manager recently set me up", which cannot correctly be changed to "...I am using a new computer up with which my manager recently set me".
Philip Graves, Stockholm, Sweden

20. Stadiums, as a plural of stadium, rather than stadia.
C. Matthews, Birmingham, UK

NOTE: Fowler's says that when dealing with modern sports grounds, rather than ones from the classical world, the plural is "stadiums".

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Inspector McHammered of the Lard in Pamplona, Spain

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JUNG JIN KUG (JJK) ACADEMY, Korea

Posted on the "Korea section". Any comments?

"I'm not sure where to put a post about an academy not yet mentioned, but I'd appreciate if you put it under a separate heading "JUNG JIN KUG (JJK) ACADEMY BLACKLIST" . Terrible place to work. It's tiny and filthy (nothing gets cleaned ever; they mop ONLY with water) the staff are surly and the boss is abusive. For example: No pension given, although it's South Korean labor policy. No medical insurance given, although its South Korean labor policy. Steers you (uninsured) toward incompetent doctors. I've gotten only 1/2 sick day the whole year; the contract promises me 3 (I asked to take one, when I had tonsilitis/laringytis and was denied, and yelled at for asking.) Fourteen vacation days were promised, and ten given (all chopped into small holidays mandated by the director.) These are all ILLEGAL practices. Practices by JJK Academy that are LEGAL but insufferable are: you get a tiny, uninsulated apartment. The director is nosy and abusive, I have been yelled at multiple times by the director and his wife both. The school is a mess, schedule-wise, and I've never been told what I'm supposed to be teaching. NO training given. They're doing poorly, so there is NO discipline in order to keep the students. STAY AWAY!!!"

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Inspector McHammered of the Lard in Pamplona, Spain

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The TEFL Tradesman - Trouble at t'mill

It seems that Sandy McManus' blog The TEFL Tradesman has gone for good as a consequence of some vendetta carried out, probably by one of the usual suspects mentioned at http://sandymcmanus.blogspot.com.
If anyone has any idea who could be behind this attack please let your noble sleuth know.
The recent sequence of articles on the blog about the risks to children from pedofiles were very good.
Just let me know Sandy, if you want them preserved, and I'll post them on The TEFL Blacklist as they deserve a wide audience. (leave them in the third left-luggage locker from the left at Victoria station, number 999).

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Inspector McHammered of the Lard in Pamplona, Spain

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United English in Queretaro, Mexico

Posted on the "nominate a school for blacklisting section". Any comments?

"United English in Queretaro, Mexico is the epitome of education for profit. The school’s Swiss owner, Mr. K, is truly a leader in unethical business practices in Mexico’s growing TEFL industry. Mr. K takes a predatory approach to hiring teachers with no certification and no experience. The school’s website uses fake testimonials, non-existent schools, and falsified certifications. Teacher contracts are more devious. Work Visa applications are carefully orchestrated and paid for my Mr. K himself who has cleverly found a loophole within the local immigration office. Teachers are usually issued Student visas, participating in the UE teacher training program. Teachers receive no training. Moreover, the school’s “European System” curriculum closely resembles an educational Ponzi scheme. TOEIC exams scores are manipulated to show incremental increases and give the appearance that students are learning English"

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Inspector McHammered of the Lard in Pamplona, Spain

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EF College, Oxford

Posted on TEFL Jobs in the UK. Any comments?

I can't seem to nominate a school for the blacklist, so I'm leaving it here as a comment. This is my resignation letter from EF College, Oxford:

Dear Kim,
I am writing to inform you that I have been forced to resign my position from EF Language College, for reasons outlined below. I am truly sorry for the inconvenience my departure has caused to my colleagues at the Oxford Centre, however to remain was to place myself in an untenable position. I have listed the below issues in chronological order.

1. Confirmation and arrival. As I did not receive, as promised, an information pack over the weekend of the 27-28 June providing details of the position, it was not until I spoke to you on the morning of Monday 30 June that I was informed of the location of the Centre. You gave me the address: Cherwell College, Paradise Street, Oxford OX1 1LD. On arrival at the Paradise Street address I spent a tedious hour between different departments, none of which had heard of me or knew anything about EF. I find it unbelievable that you did not have the correct address of 7 Norham Gardens, especially given that this was where all the EF resources and merchandise had been delivered. You had also misdirected other staff to Paradise Street and this was a very poor introduction to EF.

2. Teaching facilities and OH&S. The facilities at Norham Gardens were completely inadequate, only two toilets, a staff room with only two chairs, tiny classrooms, boxes strewn everywhere, a lack of fire extinguishers and most appallingly, not one staff member had comprehensive first aid training. The first aid kit in the office my have been adequate for a single traveller, but certainly not for a camp of 150 teenagers. Additionally, there was no epipen and no one trained in the treatment of anaphylaxis. Basic OH&S standards were clearly not adhered to and there was no procedure for doing background checks on employees. Given the duty of care owed to the students attending the camp, I found these conditions unacceptable.

3. Program organisation and resources. Despite a comprehensive English language program being available for the teachers to follow, there was no information about the drama component other than the comment “we’re doing ‘A Mid-summer Night’s Dream’ with a performance at the end”. No one could tell us whether it would be one performance or several, whether all students were expected to participate as actors regardless of their level of English, or what particular material needed to be covered in our lessons. All these questions were secondary however to the main problem – there were no copies of the play! In the middle of this discussion a representative from the Oxford Theatre Company showed up unexpectedly and began going through some lesson plans that she had been asked to prepare. Unfortunately, the plans, which covered such obscure topics as ‘pointalism’ were far too advanced for ESL students. Additionally, she had only prepared 7 out of the 14 lesson plans, leaving the teachers to complete the rest on their own, which again would be impossible without copies of the text available. One option discussed was to download a copy of the play and photocopy it, but this could not be done as the Centre had no internet access. No timetable had been organised.

4. Board and Accommodation. Given the dilapidated state of the Centre, I was not surprised to find that the accommodation was also sub-standard. All teachers had been told they would be given their own room and instead the majority of us had to share. The room I shared had only one light, the beds were old and uncomfortable, the facilities musty and dirty. There was no bathroom on our floor and no lighting on the landing. Despite being promised ‘full board and accommodation’ we were informed that there was no budget to feed us on Monday night and that we’d have to ‘fend for ourselves’. This was not what anyone wanted to hear after such a tedious day and completely unfair of EF to mislead employees in this way. I stipulated to the Centre Manager and my ‘House Mother’ that I had particular food allergies and they both assured me that I could be catered for without a problem. Despite this, I was unable to eat the food at either breakfast or lunch on Tuesday.

Kim I have to say my experience of EF has been one of complete disorganisation and unprofessionalism. I feel that I accepted the position after being given misleading information about the company, the Oxford Centre and the teaching position. I am still considering whether to pass my concerns on to the relevant authorities. I expect full remuneration for Monday 30 June and Tuesday 1 July, along with reimbursement of my travel costs. The receipts of these I have posted to you along with my P46 tax form.

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Inspector McHammered of the Lard in Pamplona, Spain

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Sandy McManus Needs You

Sandy McManus, seems to be under attack from some nutter intent on mischief making. Your beloved sleuth is often the recipient of threats of an unseemly nature and feels that any attack on Sandy is an attack on himself. Tis true that Sandy doesn't take prisoners, but then one might well argue , why should he?

The TEFL industry is riddled with charlatans that need exposing and thank goodness there are ways for teachers to warn others of unscrupulous employers.

This is what Sandy has to say:

"WARNING!! Nutter on the Loose!

Look out!! There's a right dickhead over there in France (IP 213.41.241.# - Nerim) who thinks he's got me rumbled. Fortunately, for me anyway, he's barking up the wrong palm tree. However, in order to protect the innocent party that is persistently being named as the REAL Sandy McAnus, I've temporarily switched off the comments section for all blog postings.

If you really want to contact me (no, not you, Mr Dickhead in France), e-mail me on teflsandy@yahoo.ie. Or you can slag off Monsieur Tete de Coq over on...

http://sandymcmanus.blogspot.com/

I reckon he'll be needing a lawyer soon, once David K. gets wind of what he's up to.

BTW, what IS the French for dick?"

I am sure that Sandy would agree with me that the bugger needs seeing off and a few well chosen messages to that effect posted on his site might just be what the doctor ordered.

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Inspector McHammered of the Lard in Pamplona, Spain

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New Zealand Centre for Culture and Education in Gangnam, South Korea

Posted on the "nominate a school for blacklisting section". Any comments?

"NZ Centre for Culture and Education, Gangnam, Seoul South Korea.

Delusional management comprising of 2 Korean directors and 1 NZer that believe and implement slave-like mentality managment and employment practices.

The contract is dubious and potential teachers are misled into believing that they do not have to work more than 2 saturdays a month, working hours are flexible and initiative is rewarded. The management problems in this place are historic particularly since the employment of the Education Director who is a NZer. Management have gone so far as to make racist comments to pull staff into line.

Staff have been bullied to work on public holidays for marketing events. Staff who have resigned have been told they are not allowed to, fired, screwed out of their final pay, told that the management will make it very difficult for them to leave and they will never be able to return to South Korea again.

The management are using the NZ brand to make money and thats it. There is no NZ cultural program and the goodwill of highly qualified NZ teachers who either resign or do not renew contracts is exploited.

The employment and management practices of the NZC are an embarrasment to New Zealanders, what makes it worse is that it is endorsed by a NZer who sells out the teaching staff.

Unfortunately, this organisation is NZ Embassy affiliated and takes full advantage of free resources provided by the NZ Embassy on behalf of NZ tax payers."

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Inspector McHammered of the Lard in Pamplona, Spain

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The British School Maglie, Italy

Yet another British School posting on the "nominate a school for blacklisting section". Any comments?
"I had an awful time at The British School Maglie in southern Italy a couple of years ago. It was enough to put me off teaching forever. The owner is a typical Italian macho. The school is in an isolated area. The school boasts hi tech this and that but the reality is very different and the teachers are really unhappy. During the year at least three teachers just walked as they had been treated so dismissively.
I've seen a few postings about The British schools. This one is definitely to be avoided."
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Inspector McHammered of the Lard in Pamplona, Spain

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Only Brits Need Apply?

Posted on the "nominate a school for blacklisting section" and continuing a similar theme that was posted a while ago. I've posted it here in the spirit of free speech, but go easy with the rotten tomatoes. The spelling/grammatical errors undermine the argument somewhat. Typos are one thing, but all too often The Inspector's eyebrows are raised by bad spelling, which from teachers of English, posting on the TEFL Blacklist is a tad rich.

For the record, The Inspector does not believe that native speakers should be placed on a pedestal. Non native speakers can do just as good a job, especially if you don't believe in the sanctity of the communicative method. The issue of work permits and visas is hardly the fault of language schools. Employing exclusively native speakers is however another matter.

"Does anyone believe that a E.U. sponsored monopoly is begınnıng to take hold on the ESL industry? More and more jobs are statıng, ''British speaker wanted,'' or ''Only E.U. citizens may apply''. I personally believe all schools should have a corporate policy against non-dıscrimination based on natıonality for ESL and should pressure centers to accept natıve speakers from non-E.U. countrıes. For example, what give British citizens a majority hold over a country such as Romania. My family left Romania in 1947 because of the Communists, and I am told that because I am not an E.U. citizen I cannot apply. Personally, despıte beıng a certified instructor, I am consıstently turned down for jobs because the Eastern European centers are unwılling to sponsor a vısa or they say that the requırements are ımpossıble to meet for US citizens. The other common response is ''part-time'' or ''freelance'' which is easily translatable as - no visa support, no health insurance, no housing, no teacher permit, thus no legality. These gray areas of national law can easily cause an inexperienced teacher to be deported or detained. I have personally witnessed this situation take place on more than one occasion. A manager can act as though these really arent a concern, but they should be of grave concern to any illegal worker in any industry. What any company is doing with this type of structure is not attract professional teachers, but persons who may be in the country under special circumstances, i.e. married to a resident, university student, etc. I don't believe this situation adds value to the corporation, instead it detracts from what is important - retaining qualified and interested individuals. One of the reasons why ESL seems to attract the ''backpackers''. Why should British citizens be the only nationality sanctioned to teach English in the E.U.?"

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Inspector McHammered of the Lard in Pamplona, Spain

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Wall Street Institute, Spain

The Inspector came across this Wikipedia article, which illustrates neatly the kind of minds grinding away in pursuit of "Wall Street Institute" profitability.

"In 2002 there were as many as 130 WSI branches in Spain. Many of these were franchises. With the collapse that same year of rival school Opening English, which used a similar computer-based teaching method to that of Wall Street, the Baltimore company saw 88 of its Spanish franchises close before the end of the year.

Today there are less than 20 Wall Street Institute branches open in Spain.

Wall Street and Opening English used a similar method to charge their customers. Customers would sign up for an extended period of time in order to avail of cheaper rates. However the contract which they signed was not with Wall Street but with a financing operation unconnected to the English school chain. Thus when students of the two schools, unhappy with their progress, tried to rescind their contracts early they discovered that they had to take the issue up with the bank that underwrote the financing company who issued their contract. Wall Street does not teach children. The majority were unsuccessful in their claims.

When Consumers Associations took up the plight of many disaffected students, the issue became a national story and loop holes in Spain's commerce laws were shown to be being exploited by the chain schools, who did not have to take any responsibility for the customers' dissatisfaction with the quality of the services they offered.

The relevant laws were subsequently amended."

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Inspector McHammered of the Lard in Pamplona, Spain

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EWHA Little Campus Dal-dong Ulsan, South Korea

Posted on the "nominate a school for blacklisting section". Any comments?

"For anyone looking for work in Ulsan South Korea. EWHA Little Campus in Dal-dong is one of the worst schools in Korea to work for. During my year there I encounted lies, fraud, illegal goings on, bullying and theft. I was asked to pay for bills that were not mine and no one could show me a receipt for the bills. I had things stolen from my desk in work by a fellow ENGLISH TEACHER!! I also suffered bullying and name calling from this girl (who had previously been in trouble with the police in England) she is underqualified, inexperienced and generally untrustworthy...no idea how she managed to be accepted to work with children. The school did nothing to address these issues. For anyone wanting a happy experience teaching in Korea DO NOT teach in EWHA Little Campus, it will steal your soul, your spirit and your passion for Asia."

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Inspector McHammered of the Lard in Pamplona, Spain

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Shanghai Gold Apple Bilingual School

Posted on the "nominate a school for blacklisting section". Any comments?

"Shanghai Gold Apple Bilingual School - steer clear of this 'school'. It's more like a business than an educational institution. Although pay was always on time (very low though), organization was HORRENDOUS. Nobody took the time to help the foreign teachers; teaching 30 students (with some students excelling in English, and others who didn't even know how to say how are you...) was an impossibility - especially since the kids viewed our class as playtime (apparently though so did the official teachers), and nobody listened to our constructive complaints - they were always just pushed to the side...

The school is located in the middle of nowhere (although construction for more shopping areas began right when we were leaving), and it takes about 55 minutes to get into Puxi and 40 minutes to get into downtown Pudong.

You do get relatively good accomodation. Two rooms (bedroom + living room), and a bathroom - traditional showers. No real kitchen though.

Anyway - just stay away from this school if you want to have a reasonably good time in China. Its major issue is the ridiculous lack of organization. When homeroom teachers tell you that the exams we give the students don't really mean anything - well, there you go. Don't waste your time."

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Inspector McHammered of the Lard in Pamplona, Spain

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Sorrento Lingue Sorrento, Italy

Posted on the "nominate a school for blacklisting section". Any comments?

"I'd like to nominate Sorrento Lingue in Sorrento, Italy aka Sorrento Sweatshop Lingue.

If you mind:
- working 10 to 12 hours a day without a lunch break or time for preparation;
- dubious pay slips that even the accountant cannot explain and always inevitably gets wrong every month;
- less pay at Christmas to reward you for your hard work and efforts (a Christmas tax I believe, or so I was told;
- 10 month contracts that will be changed after you have signed them (i.e. a 40 hour week dubiously being changed to 40 teaching hours per week!);
- arrogant staff on ego power trips treating you like a slave because they're Italian and you're just the foreigner - (be prepared to be constantly reminded that you should be ever so grateful to have this job otherwise you will end up on the streets) even if you are over-qualified for the position, come from a country far richer than Italy and are financially secure;
- a dodgy and unhelpful DOS who will do everything in his power to make your life unbearable;
- working Saturdays without paid overtime; and
- no holiday whatsoever

Then Teflers everywhere …. I'd give this place a miss if I were you! You have been warned."

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Inspector McHammered of the Lard in Pamplona, Spain

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British Institutes Rimini, Italy

Posted on the "nominate a school for blacklisting section". Any comments?

"Please, please, please STAY AWAY from British Institutes in Rimini (Italy). The director, Valentina Douglas, will take MONTHS to pay you - or not pay you at all! They will load up your schedule, give you classes at the last minute, and give you a hard time reimbursing you for your gas (petrol) money. I swear I am not the only person with a problem , there are many, many people who have quit and / or are waiting to be paid. She even treats her Italian staff and teachers this way, not just her foreign workers.

I swear, I am not on a vendetta, this is the truth!"

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Inspector McHammered of the Lard in Pamplona, Spain

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English World, My English World Tongliao, Inner Mongolia, China

henovqPosted on the "nominate a school for blacklisting section". Any comments?

"I nominate English World, aka My English World, aka English World Business Liability Co. Ltd., Tongliao, Inner Mongolia, China. In 2005-2006, English World was investigated on 3 different occasions. First by the Tongliao Public Security Bureau due to the fact that teachers were teaching under "F" visas, which is illegal. "F" visas are reserved for those invited to China to conduct business, not to teach. Lian was informed of the investigation beforehand by a friend who works with the PSB and all of the foreign teachers had to be interviewed by the PSB. We were told by Lian to tell the PSB that we did not teach, but rather that we participated in the writing of textbooks and did promotional work. We went through with the interviews, but it was very hard on alot of us because we knew what could happen if we were caught lying. But, it was either that or lose our jobs. The second time we were investigated, Lian left the office and a woman and 2 men from the Department of Education came to investigate...they went through Lian's filing cabinet and rifled through the desks.

They had alot to say about a sign that Lian had on the door to the office that claimed we were a school (it was written in Chinese) and because she didn't have the permit to be able to operate a school, or have foreign teachers, they said that she was breaking the law. These Department of Education people returned again and insisted that we all have medical examinations done, and to make matters worse representatives from the Department of Education were present in the room when we had our examinations, and saw us half-naked and it was quite humiliating to us foreign teachers. So, there were at least 3 occasions while I was there in which there were investigations. Until recently, illegal recruiters could fly "under the radar" so to speak, but now there have been alot of changes to the Chinese visa process which will make things alot harder for people like Lian.

I believe there will be no "F" visas issued between March 2008 and October 2008. Also there is no such thing as a visa extension anymore (Lian used to get a doctor to write a note stating that the foreign teacher was too sick to go to Hong Kong to get a new visa so that they could go there with an expired visa to renew it) Usually it worked, but I believe the authorities began to catch on...ask Nate, an American foreign teacher who worked for her. Lian told him that although his visa was expired she "had it covered"...he went to Hong Kong, was detained and fined for having an expired visa...at his expense of course. I went to Hong Kong with an expired visa and was questioned, but they let me through just because I was lucky.

Before I left for Hong Kong, Lian told me that she made a call and that it would all be fine. When I told the immigration officer upon entering Hong Kong, he laughed in my face and said that there was no such thing as "making a call" in such matters...an expired visa is an expired visa. Luckily, he let me through, but I felt like such a fool. I also read something about there being no visa switches anymore, starting in March 2008...before, you could come to China on a tourist visa and change it to a Z visa (which is what you need to have to teach) but now whatever visa you come in with is what you have to stay with; you can't switch it anymore apparently, and if it's expired, you need to get a new one by leaving China for 5 days (I think it used to be 24hrs, if that.), provide travel receipts and prove that you are affiliated with a government approved agency and so on. (For an "F" visa that is, but good luck getting that in Hong Kong without good solid proof, especially if you're not American or Canadian.)

Anyway,with regard to your question why Lian can have dealings with the school board and so on, while not being legal...it's not that hard to justify. Not many Chinese know about permits to employ foreigners (from the S.A.F.E.A.) or visas or anything like that. They're pretty much going on her word. Then there is the whole aspect of how "money talks" in Chinese society. Things often move a little quicker and a little more quietly when it's greased with a few 100 RMB bills.

Also, the schools are not going to care if the foreigners don't have the proper documentation, only Lian and the foreigner will get into trouble...maybe just the foreigner. Chinese don't know much about policies for foreigners, especially where foreigners living in Tongliao is still a relatively new thing for that city. They don't have alot of experience dealing with such matters. You can actually check with the State Administration of Foreign Employee Affairs (SAFEA...they have a telephone number on their website) and they will tell you if the place you are woking for is permitted to employ foreigners. The last time I checked, Inner Mongolia University for the Nationalities was the only school in all of Tongliao with a permit, and also able to provide "Z" visas. As for the name of the company it has been changed, because she had to have the word, "business" in it in order to get away with having "F" visas which are only allowed for business oriented companies, not for teaching. By the way, after leaving China I did some research...foreign employees living in China for less than a period of 2 years are exempt from paying taxes so, if she's taking taxes off of your pay...it's going into her pocket.

I had Chinese ex-employees of hers tell me that they were apalled at how she used to keep the taxes for herself and the foreigners were not even supposed to pay taxes. Alot of things go on "in Chinese" that the foreigners do not understand...things that would make you sick. Did you know that all of her teachers are different prices to the schools? If a school isn't willing to pay whatever for a white foreigner, then she will say, "well, I can give you a Filipino or a Black for that money, but not a white person". Kinda makes you feel a little bit like a herd of cattle doesn't it? Oh well...the way I look at it, everything always comes out in the wash eventually. No bad deed goes unpunished and people always pay for their dishonesty.

As long as there are people willing to teach for Lian, then she will make money from them. I just couldn't stay around anymore, because I was tired of being treated as less than a deserving human being. There is no need to try to pick falsehoods out of what I say at all...I have no reason to make things up about English World. I know what I'm talking about, because I have been in China for a long time. This is a horrible company to work for...stay far away!"

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Inspector McHammered of the Lard in Pamplona, Spain

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The Language House, Malaysia

Posted on the "nominate a school for blacklisting section". Any comments?

"'The Language House' in Malaysia. Beware! A momey making racket! No concern for education, teachers are given absolutely no respect. Students pour in by the hundreds from the middle-east, Korea and China expecting good teaching. Close on six hours contact time, 1 hour preparation time. Payment also sucks! If you are looking for a job in Malaysia, don't settle with less that RM3500 a month, free accomodation or alowance, medical benefits, 18 day paid leave a year! They will tell you to put up with unbelievable nonsense. If you complain, they will tell you to be professional! They are the most unprofessional bunch under the sun! Be warned and warn anyone wanting to teach in Malaysia."

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Inspector McHammered of the Lard in Pamplona, Spain

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Wall Street Institute Buenos Aires, Argentina

Posted on the "nominate a school for blacklisting section". Any comments?

"I nominate Wall Street Institute in Buenos Aires, Argentina (there are about 30 centers, and I've worked at 3). It's commonplace here to disrespect teachers, apparently, and pay them pitifully, and lie to the customers to get them to sign up, ...

- You will get 13 pesos/hour (U$D 4), and way fewer hours than you were promised when you began, meaning that you will only be earning, approximately, a measly 1000 pesos/month (U$D 300). My rent is 900 pesos, so you can imagine what a fantastic wage WSI was gracing me with.

- The ultra-neurotic manager rudely criticizes teachers about their hair and attire.

- The director doesn't even speak English, never says hello and is never friendly.

- The turnover rate is staggering. I wonder why!

- The teachers are grossly over-qualified and exploited. Most don't know better until after they get screwed over, at least a month into it.

- The WSI materials are full of spelling mistakes and wrong answers in the keys!

- Students complain about getting cheated by the salespeople, getting things promised that turned out to be lies and they can't get their money back.

- If a class gets cancelled more than hour or so before it's scheduled, you don't get paid for it unless you do "busy work", and if there's nothing to do ...

- They don't respect teachers' time. If the last class is cancelled or the student doesn't show up, you do not get paid for it, no matter what. Why? Because you were going to leave anyway ...

It is ridiculously inadequate and and a blow to your dignity to work there."

_________________________________________________________

Inspector McHammered of the Lard in Pamplona, Spain

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Hampson school in Mlada Boleslav, Prague, Czech Republic

Posted on the "nominate a school for blacklisting section". Any comments?

"Maybe this doesn't count as a nomination, because I haven't worked for the school, but I almost did.

Hampson a school in Mlada Boleslav, 50km from Prague. They use accelerated learning techniques based on relaxation and fun, and run intensive immersion courses. It's run by Pavel Sudik, who also has a sideline in organising corporate firewalking events.

I'm interested in accelerated learning methods so I sent a speculative note and CV. They responded in five minutes, saying "At the moment we have one opening for native speaker. Full time contract starting immediately. We would appreciate to know your decision about joining our staff. You could start to teach tomorrow."

So suddenly they have a vacancy, and they've just about offered me the job without checking my qualifications or referees, and they'd like my decision instantly.

They sent a brochure which mentioned that the pay is 120 crowns (after tax) per hour taught. There's no monthly wage - you get paid by the lesson, so if there's no students, there's no pay. Assuming 25 hours teaching a week, that's barely a living wage. The brochure said there'd be health and travel insurance provided, plus accommodation provided, but was extremely insistant that I must sign a years contract immediately on arrival.

I emailed again asking if they could refund my air fare to Prague (because I'm bankrupt), and they responded saying it wasn't company policy but they'd make a special exception in my case - because I'm so highly qualified with a CELTA, an MA and two months teaching experience.

Now, I'm in my first TEFL job - which I'm trying to leave because there's literally no students, hence my application to Hampson. Why should Hampson be so eager to get hold of an inexperienced teacher like me? Why do they want me to sign their contract so quickly? Why are they offering to pay my travel costs? And...why don't they want to interview me first? I offered twice, they declined.

The day after the first exchange of emails, Pavel Sudik's wife telephoned to encourage me to come. Her English isn't great, so she said she'd ask Hampson's one native English speaker to call me later so we could talk properly.

He called exactly on time...and it was very strange. I asked about wages, teacher turnover, course content and accommodation, and his responses were slow, vague, confused and noncommittal. Maybe he was being watched, I don't know. But...he honestly sounded as though he were drugged. His answers were not just perfunctory, they were drawling with long gaps.

I am, basically, freaked out by all this. There's no way I'll work for them because the pay just not enough to pay my debts. But am I imagining it, that there's something creepy about that place?"

_________________________________________________________

Inspector McHammered of the Lard in Pamplona, Spain

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LTC Eastbourne, England

Posted on the "nominate a school for blacklisting section". Any comments?

"LTC Eastbourne. Just don't work there. The place is a mess. The principal is a bully and hated by all the staff.

In summer school you are overworked for no pay and the place is a mess.

It's full of racist middle-aged teachers who are bitter about failing in life and graduates who don't have a clue and spend all their time drinking.

You get no support from management either and the photocopier never works meaning you have to do lessons off the cuff every day."

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Inspector McHammered of the Lard in Pamplona, Spain

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Pro Linguis, Belgium

Posted on the "nominate a school for blacklisting section". Any comments?

"Be careful about taking a job at Pro Linguis in Belgium. Although the teaching is reasonable (when you get any) the contract is worthless and the state contributions you will have to make from your wage are outrageous. There are no guaranteed hours, the (free) food is rubbish and the place is very remote, so it's not a place to consider for a job. Unless you like being a monk or a nun..."

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Inspector McHammered of the Lard in Pamplona, Spain

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Every International School of Choueifat - SABIS supported school

Posted on the "nominate a school for blacklisting section". Any comments?

"Every International School of Choueifat/SABIS supported school.
I am writing about my experiences as a Choueifat. I have worked at a number of schools in several different countries. I have been looking back on my whole experience and feel driven to share my experiences. Anyone who is even considering becoming part of Choueifat/SABIS needs to be forewarned. They are continually looking for teachers because they have extremely LOW retention rates. Their sole aim is financial gain at any cost.

They proclaim to care about staff. This is the boldest face lie any human could ever encounter. They do not treat staff with any human decency, but instead bully, blaming for them for every short fall of the schools practice. Choueifat/SABIS employees people whose main duty it to spy and report back to the higher up in power. They call them “supervisors” who are supposed to be monitoring the children’s behave, but is only a small part of their job. They encourage students to engage in this behavior as well, not only reporting on other students, but teachers as well. Choueifat/SABIS does not believe teachers should deal with classroom discipline because teachers are incapable of this.

Choueifat/SABIS discriminates based on nationality and bases pay dependant on where a employees comes from despite the fact the living cost the employee is working in is the same in a country whether one is from Ireland or from Egypt. There are no standardized employee policies and procedures, but vary from person to person. The organization is run by mainly Lebanese, with rigid outdated ideas about education and curriculum delivery.

Choueifat/SABIS claims to take a holistic approach to education. This is one of the biggest lies out there. They utilized a very draconian method which focuses on one type of learning style. They utilize a whole class teaching methodology which believes classes does not matter. They use the points methods which is based on the belief, though it has never been proven by academic research study, which claims every child can learn every concept at the sometime with one form of presentation. There is no deviation from the Choueifat/SABIS curriculum. Teachers are given s set amount of topics which must be covered weekly despite the fact that some students fall behind and others are not challenged and loose interest. Constant examinations are given which causes memorization of information, but lack the development of critical thinking skills. Teaching methodologies do not support or even develop the research or studies skills student need to be successful when studying at Universities. And god forbid, a student has a learning disability or other need which requires additional support service. I have heard first hand from a “top administer” that such things may exist, but the cost of employing school psychologist or teachers with training in special education is not cost effective.

And when children are not successful the Choueifat/SABIS the child is labeled as stupid or lazy when in fact the child most possibility would be successful if provided the learning supports and opportunities which are available in most western nations. The number of students who have been permanently emotionally and psychologically traumatized by this is system is shocking.

This is a warning to both parents and teachers alike. DO NOT GET INVOLVED in this organization unless you are willing to compromise your integrity and basic humanity. Do not allow the administration to deceive you into their lies and deceit."

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Inspector McHammered of the Lard in Pamplona, Spain

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Komalingua sl, Basque Country, Spain

Posted on the "nominate a school for blacklisting section". Any comments?

"While this is not the worst EFL school I've worked for in terms of working conditions, salary and general treatment (apart from their recruitment strategy: see below), there is no good reason for which an EFL teacher (especially a native one) should decide to work for a company placed in a small town in the middle of nowhere (and where there is nowhere), spending his day driving (if lucky, going by bus or walking if unlucky) among mountains from seven in the morning to seven in the evening, when there are hundreds of better location in Spain. This has been my worst choice ever in terms of location but I was misled in making it by the lies of the centre director. Beware: she's desperate to get people for the school (and to keep them there when they arrive) and will tell absolutely any lie about promotions, payrises and the such in order to drag you to this place forgotten by God and men!"

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Inspector McHammered of the Lard in Pamplona, Spain

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Komalingua sl, Basque Country, Spain

Posted on the "nominate a school for blacklisting section". Any comments?

"While this is not the worst EFL school I've worked for in terms of working conditions, salary and general treatment (apart from their recruitment strategy: see below), there is no good reason for which an EFL teacher (especially a native one) should decide to work for a company placed in a small town in the middle of nowhere (and where there is nowhere), spending his day driving (if lucky, going by bus or walking if unlucky) among mountains from seven in the morning to seven in the evening, when there are hundreds of better location in Spain. This has been my worst choice ever in terms of location but I was misled in making it by the lies of the centre director. Beware: she's desperate to get people for the school (and to keep them there when they arrive) and will tell absolutely any lie about promotions, payrises and the such in order to drag you to this place forgotten by God and men!"

_________________________________________________________

Inspector McHammered of the Lard in Pamplona, Spain

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BONAS International School Valencia, Spain

Posted on the "nominate a school for blacklisting section". Any comments?

"Please beware---BONAS International School in Valencia, Spain is a SCAM.
They initially asked me for a 250 euro deposit to show my seriousness for the position which I paid...then an additional 950 euro (which thankfully I didn't pay) b/c it was 'more than they anticipated' for my arrival.
When I refused, they said they would refund my original deposit to 'retain their good name' which they have yet to do.
BEWARE!"

_________________________________________________________

Inspector McHammered of the Lard in Pamplona, Spain

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Berlitz Zagreb, Croatia

Posted on the "nominate a school for blacklisting section". Any comments?

"Berlitz Zagreb Croatia is nearly identical to its Turkish counterparts. 40 odd hours of unpaid and irregularly training, a Canadian LIS who can't tell time and confuses Tuesday and Thursday and who prefers to communicate changes telepathically, promises of ample classroom hours only to be rewarded with late or missing pay, unfulfilled working permits etc. They're also constantly hiring and have known to have a nearly complete turnover every 3-4 months. I'd recommend collecting garbage or volunteering for work in Iraq before this place. Hope it's not too late for inclusion."

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Inspector McHammered of the Lard in Pamplona, Spain

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Berlitz Istanbul, Turkey

Posted on the "nominate a school for blacklisting section". Any comments?

"

I wouldn't recommend Berlitz Istanbul. If you are interested in seeing a foreign country for 6 months and experience a new culture then this place is a no-brainer. But, if you are looking for medical benefits, a teacher's permit, travel pay (all promised in the original contract) forget it! This thief has no honor. They even pocket the teacher's income tax at the end of the year!"

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Inspector McHammered of the Lard in Pamplona, Spain

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Eurolingua Brno, Czech Republic

Posted on the "nominate a school for blacklisting section". Any comments?

"Eurolingua in Brno, Czech Republic is best to avoid.

After one interview and seeing the premisis, I opted not to take a job offer with them and decided that I will not work with them ever.

The woman who runs the place has very little in people skills or social graces and said to my face that she refuses to hire people legally, won't help employees with taxes. Basically, she said she gives you the money and the rest is your problem and don't ask her for help.

The bureaucracy in the Czech Republic for foreigners is quite daunting, so you certainly don't need an employer like this

While I have not worked there personally, I have a colleague and a former student who both have done teaching work there (they are both Czech) and neither had much good to say about the owner of the school or her people skills, they also went on to say that many students were not happy at the owner's business practices on one level or another."

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Inspector McHammered of the Lard in Pamplona, Spain

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Daleena International Language Centre in Malaga, Spain

Posted on the "nominate a school for blacklisting section". Any comments?

"Not too sure if this is strictly one for the blacklist as I doubt this school really exists!!

Just wanted to warn others not to waste time with these guys- any recruitment process will end with them asking you to wire money.. its just a scam!

They may operate under other names also- but if it sounds too good to be true, it usually is."

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Inspector McHammered of the Lard in Pamplona, Spain

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Yang Jeong Academy, in Yongin City, South Korea

Posted on the "nominate a school for blacklisting section". Any comments?

"I nominate Yang Jeong Academy, in Yongin City, South Korea. The director prioritises building new apartments over paying teachers, Korean teachers always get paid late, so they are often understaffed due to them quitting after a month. Foreign teachers have had to battle with him to get their final payments. The glorified secretary (or self-proclaimed assistant manager) is the pettiest Korean i've ever met. She tries to scam you out of money, and when i called her on it, she turned into a silly teenager, got everyone at the academy to ignore me for a few days and made my work as much of a nightmare as she could. As extra punishment, they added free english lessons for her to my timetable, so i would have to come into work early, only for her to not bother showing up. I've heard from previous employees that she has done this every year. She's given a fair bit of control over the foreign teachers, and abuses that whenever she can - she's withheld pay, she's taken money from pay without permission and in breach of contract, she's refused to give vacation - we had to ask her permission for so many things that were already in our contracts. There were numerous occasions when they breached our contract terms and tried to lie and claim we had oral agreements, then tried to make us sign new agreements. They made oral agreements with us, refused to put them in writing, and then denied having ever made them - most of my year spent there was a battle for something.
They tried to send me to teach illegally at a school, and when i asked them if it was legal, they insisted it was and told me they'd check. Thankfully, i had a korean friend who called immigration for me and found out it was completely illegal, which is what the academy were also told, but they still wanted me to go because they didn't want to pay a korean teacher extra to cover the classes. To add to this, the book they wanted me to teach was all in Korean, and i was told to just find a way to teach it. I refused to go as i was illegal, and we'd had several people in the area recently caught for the same thing, and again i spent the rest of the day being shunned by all the teachers, whilst they plotted ways to punish me.
The academy has a reputation in the area for treating foreign teachers badly. I would never work there again - there are so many better places, and it's just too much hassle and pettiness."

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Inspector McHammered of the Lard in Pamplona, Spain

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The Brits and TEFL jobs in Europe.

I don't actually agree at all with the following anonymous posting that was made on the "nominate a school for blacklisting" section. But, as you all know, your beloved sleuth is a fair minded and honourable chap and as such has decided to allow you all to mull over this posting. At least it makes a change from the barrage of spin arriving from TEFL International.

"Does anyone believe that a E.U. sponsored monopoly is begınnıng to take hold on the ESL industry? More and more jobs are statıng, ''British speaker wanted,'' or ''Only E.U. citizens may apply''. I personally believe all schools should have a corporate policy against non-dıscrimination based on natıonality for ESL and should pressure centers to accept natıve speakers from non-E.U. countrıes. For example, what give British citizens a majority hold over a country such as Romania. My family left Romania in 1947 because of the Communists, and I am told that because I am not an E.U. citizen I cannot apply. Personally, despıte beıng a certified instructor, I am consıstently turned down for jobs because the Eastern European centers are unwılling to sponsor a vısa or they say that the requırements are ımpossıble to meet for US citizens. The other common response is ''part-time'' or ''freelance'' which is easily translatable as - no visa support, no health insurance, no housing, no teacher permit, thus no legality. These gray areas of national law can easily cause an inexperienced teacher to be deported or detained. I have personally witnessed this situation take place on more than one occasion. A manager can act as though these really arent a concern, but they should be of grave concern to any illegal worker in any industry. What any company is doing with this type of structure is not attract professional teachers, but persons who may be in the country under special circumstances, i.e. married to a resident, university student, etc. I don't believe this situation adds value to the corporation, instead it detracts from what is important - retaining qualified and interested individuals. One of the reasons why ESL seems to attract the ''backpackers''. Why should British citizens be the only nationality sanctioned to teach English in the E.U.?"

TEFL International - Bruce Veldhuisen

The Inspector's siesta has been shattered by an onslaught of very lengthy postings with the same message " Bruce Van Heldhuisen" is a great guy and just plain misunderstood.
One of them is so long it could rival "War and Peace" for length.
Anyway this is an extract from Bruce's rant:

" Honestly, are a few hits worth the publication of libelous information? Just so you can make a few bucks off of GoogleAds? That seems pretty mercinary to me.

Publish this comment."

Ehrm sorry Bruce but credibility is important here. Take a look around the real estate of The TEFL Blacklist. There are no Google Ads at all, anywhere. Why not? Because The Inspector can never be accused of being "mercinary". Bruce you of all people, as a TEFL course provider, really should have used a spell checker if you can't spell. It's spelt "Mercenary" and that accusation can not be applied to your noble sleuth.
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Inspector McHammered of the Lard in Pamplona, Spain

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AES Academy of English Studies Folkestone

Academy of English Studies Folkestone,
8 Cheriton Place, Folkestone,
Kent, CT20 2AZ - UK

Avoid this place like the plague. The Inspector has received a number of tip offs over the past year. This outfit is owned by Riad Touah and Karen Touah.

Apparently, AES is run like the Mad Hatter's Tea Party and Karen Touah would appear to be a total headcase and suffering from the usual ego power trip that is unfortunately endemic in TEFL. Riad isn't a native speaker and unfortunately a little birdy has told the Inspector that Karen isn't a very good teacher.

No matter she's probably very good at accounting.

Get your barge poles out and don't say you haven't been warned by your noble sleuth.

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Inspector McHammered of the Lard in Pamplona, Spain

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Chronological Postings

In response to a request from the redoubtable Alex Case here is your opportunity to hit a double whammy (so to speak). Add your comments to whichever thread you happen to want to add a contribution and then simply copy and then paste it in this section as well. Don't forget to add a note explaining where the original was posted. That way people can, if they choose, simply read all the postings made to all the threads in chronological order.